Our Go-To Self-Soothing for Struggle

"TW: Eating."

—@centeringdisability

"Internal self-soothing (like imagining hugging a younger me and letting her cry)."

—@__c8lin__b

"Popcorn with a sh*tload of melted butter after the kids are asleep."

—@allisonhopes

"Going to California Pizza Kitchen for my favorite salad and a couple glasses of wine 🍷.”

—@akaverdugo

"Painting, crafting, or staying up way too late to watch a show I've been waiting for."

—@emilyyoung3

"Honestly, just a good cry in my car while listening to Taylor Swift."

—@complex.as.a.mother

"A long bath."

—@freyasluckyarm

"The Office."

—@kimewilkinson

"Crocheting, knitting, and watching romantic comedies."

—@medical.mama.to.amber

"Cooking or baking."

—@amyenglert312

"Locking myself in the bathroom and watching TikToks for way too long."

—@the_destroya

"Yummy snacks when the kids finally sleep and snuggling in bed while playing games on my phone."

—@llamallamamedicalmama

"Scrolling my socials and eating ice cream."

—@joyfulblondie

"I binge comfort food in my pajamas and immediately feel shameful and physically terrible."

—@monsonmama

"I just get into bed (ideally alone but my kids join me occasionally)."

—@eburkebuckley

"A bath with hot cocoa (oddly enough, I used to hate baths)."

—@oliver.wyatt.ataleoftoughtwins

"McDonalds 🤦‍♀️ (or Flaming Hot Cheetos and Dr. Pepper) and TV.”

—@samvilly

"Singing and dancing to 2000's pop!"

—@mamabei_of3

"Scrolling Instagram. It's not great though because sometimes it stresses me out even more."

—@k8_wds

"Pimple popping videos 😬.”

—@abbiexmerrill

"☕️ and ☀️.”

—@mkrambo

"Listening to loud show tunes on my drive home while munching on a salty snack."

—@ad_ra

"A vanilla milkshake!"

—@tammcsmith

"Getting in a bath. If everyone is freaking out then we all jump in. Otherwise, it's a mama only 🛁.”

—@theadventuremama

"Locking myself in my sewing room and making something nice for myself ❤️.”

—@raisingrare_wildflowers

"I pick at my skin, which is really awful. I'm now in therapy for it!"

—@bpaigeful

"Either going for a walk through the forest or watching something. (I'm currently re-watching Lost!)"

—@averyrareadventure

"A ride on my peloton bike followed by a hot bath with a good book (or TikTok)."

—@cathsheahoff

"This happened to me recently and I just sat down, closed my eyes, and prayed."

—@raremomlife

"Watching a comfort movie or listening to sad music."

—@katiebpeterson

"A hot bath and a comforting cup of coffee/tea. I also enjoy just immersing myself in a book."

—@jackie.m78

"Playing Tetris."

—@theamazinglifeoferic

"A cup of coffee and mindlessly cleaning the house while listening to podcasts."

—@devan.adkins

"Giving my baby a hug and telling her how grateful I am, regardless of the hard times we've gone through."

—@tawny.kelley

"Unfortunately, junk food 😭.”

—@lovelyladyl19

"Drinking lots of coffee and doing the absolute minimum amount of work."

—@kellyrlinn

"Getting in the car and driving...basically running away for a little bit 😬.”

—@sarah_harris_insta

"Binge-watching TV shows."

—@parvathyramankrishnan

"I love hiking. Seeing the beautiful view after the difficult uphill and then relaxing on the down hill is just perfect." 

—@lorenecm

"Loads of ice cream 🤦‍♀️.”

—@cassiecrusader

"Scrolling through Instagram."

—@m_and_gp

"Ice cream and movies."

—@cbowens525

"Sitting on the floor of the shower and crying."

—@jenntipton10

"Controlling the things I can, like cleaning the house, organizing everything, and prepping meals."

—@shaylabmiller